Publication Name	World Journal of Stem Cells
Manuscript ID	112990
Country	Türkiye

Category	Oncology
Manuscript Type	Review
Article Title	Breast cancer stem cells and circulating tumor cells: Dual drivers of progression and relapse
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Zahra Azizi, Buket Er Urganci and Ibrahim Acikbas
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Zahra Azizi, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Kinikli Road, Denizli 20160, Türkiye. zazizi19@posta.pau.edu.tr
Key Words	Breast neoplasms; Neoplastic stem cells; Circulating tumor cells; Metastasis; Treatment-resistant
Core Tip	This review emphasizes the dual functions of breast cancer stem cells and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the advancement of tumors, resistance to treatment, and metastasis. We examine their common molecular characteristics, including self-renewal and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, as well as their interaction with the tumor microenvironment. The paper also covers the current technologies for detecting CTCs and their clinical applications. Gaining an understanding of the dynamic relationship between breast cancer stem cells and CTCs provides valuable insights into the early detection of metastasis and may inform the development of personalized treatment strategies for breast cancer patients.
Citation	Azizi Z, Urganci BE, Acikbas I. Breast cancer stem cells and circulating tumor cells: Dual drivers of progression and relapse. World J Stem Cells 2025; In press

Received	2025-08-12 07:48
Peer-Review Started	2025-08-12 07:54
To Make the First Decision
Return for Revision	2025-09-16 09:03
Revised	2025-09-27 22:01
Second Decision	2025-10-30 02:42
Accepted by Journal Editor-in-Chief
Accepted by Executive Editor-in-Chief	2025-11-06 09:44
Articles in Press	2025-11-06 09:44
Publication Fee Transferred
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1948-0210 (online)
Open Access	This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Copyright	© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
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